The visible part of the clitoris, called the glans, sits at the top of the vulva where the inner lips meet. It’s roughly the size of a pea, though this varies from person to person, and it’s tucked beneath a small fold of skin called the clitoral hood. Finding it is straightforward once you understand a few landmarks.
Where Exactly It’s Located
If you’re looking at the vulva from the front, the clitoris is at the very top, above the urethral opening and well above the vaginal entrance. The two inner lips (labia minora) extend upward and converge into a small peak. Right where they meet, you’ll find a soft fold of skin covering the clitoral glans underneath. On average, the clitoris sits about 22 millimeters (just under an inch) above the urethral opening, which itself is a small dot located between the clitoris and the vaginal entrance.
The glans looks like a small, rounded nub of flesh. In some people it’s easily visible, while in others it’s almost entirely hidden beneath the hood. Both are normal. Clitoral size, hood coverage, and overall appearance vary widely from one person to the next, and none of these variations affect function.
The Clitoral Hood and How to Work With It
The clitoral hood is a fold of skin that functions much like a foreskin, protecting the highly sensitive glans underneath. It has two layers: a deeper part that wraps snugly around the base of the glans, and the outer part you can see, which drapes over the top. In many people, the hood completely covers the glans when the body is not aroused.
To expose the glans, place a finger on either side of the hood and gently pull the skin upward toward the belly. You don’t need much pressure. The small, rounded tip of the glans should become visible or at least palpable beneath your fingertip. If the hood feels slightly adherent, that’s common. Gentle, patient movement is all it takes.
Finding It by Touch
A mirror and good lighting help if you’re exploring visually, but touch works just as well. Start by placing your fingers at the top of the vulva, where the outer lips meet. Slide your fingertip slowly downward along the midline. You’ll feel a slight ridge beneath the skin, which is the shaft of the clitoris running just below the surface. Follow that ridge down until you reach a small, firm, rounded structure, about the size of a pea. That’s the glans.
The glans has a distinct feel compared to the surrounding tissue. It’s firmer, more defined, and notably more sensitive. In fact, the glans contains more than 10,000 nerve fibers, a figure confirmed by researchers at Oregon Health & Science University. That’s about 20% higher than the commonly cited estimate of 8,000, which was based on animal studies rather than human tissue. Because of this dense nerve concentration, even light touch on the glans produces a strong sensation, and direct pressure without enough arousal or lubrication can feel uncomfortable or even painful.
How Arousal Changes Things
The clitoris becomes significantly easier to find during sexual arousal. When blood flow to the genitals increases, the erectile tissue inside the clitoris swells, causing the glans to become larger, firmer, and more prominent. The glans may actually protrude from beneath the hood on its own, and the inner lips also engorge and spread slightly. These changes make the clitoris both more visible and more responsive to touch.
If you’re having difficulty locating the clitoris in a non-aroused state, exploring during arousal can make the process much more intuitive. The tissue becomes warmer, fuller, and distinctly raised compared to the surrounding area.
Most of the Clitoris Is Internal
The pea-sized glans is only the external tip. The full clitoral structure extends several centimeters inside the body, with two wing-shaped extensions (called crura) that run along either side of the vaginal canal, and two bulbs of erectile tissue that sit beneath the inner lips. The entire structure is made of the same type of spongy, blood-filling tissue found in a penis.
This matters practically because stimulation doesn’t have to be limited to the visible glans. Pressure along the shaft (the ridge you can feel above the glans, running toward the pubic bone) or broader stimulation of the surrounding area can activate the internal portions of the clitoris. Many people find that indirect stimulation through the hood, or gentle pressure on either side of the glans, feels better than direct contact with the glans itself, especially early in arousal when sensitivity is at its peak.
A Step-by-Step Approach
- Get oriented visually. Use a handheld mirror in good lighting. Identify the outer lips, then gently part them to see the inner lips.
- Follow the inner lips upward. Trace them to where they converge at the top of the vulva. The point where they meet is where the clitoral hood sits.
- Locate the hood. It looks like a small fold or canopy of skin at the uppermost point of the inner lips.
- Gently retract the hood. Use light upward pressure with your fingers on either side. The glans will be the small, rounded structure underneath.
- Confirm by sensation. A light touch on the glans will produce a distinctly sharp or electric feeling that’s different from touching any other part of the vulva.
Why It Can Be Tricky
Anatomy textbooks historically paid little attention to the clitoris, and even today many people grow up without a clear picture of vulvar anatomy. The clitoris can genuinely be hard to spot in some individuals because hood size and coverage vary considerably. Some hoods are short and barely cover the glans; others are longer and wrap more fully around it. Neither situation is unusual.
Body position also matters. The vulva looks different depending on whether someone is standing, lying on their back, or sitting with knees apart. Lying back with knees bent and legs open tends to spread the tissue and make the clitoral area most accessible, both for visual identification and for touch.